Published: · Region: Middle East · Category: markets

U.S. Saudi Oil Imports Drop to Zero as Hormuz Tension Reshapes Flows

For the first full month since 1985, the U.S. imported no Saudi crude in July, diverting purchases to Venezuela as Gulf shipping risk grew. The shift signals how Hormuz disruptions are already rewriting tanker routes and leaves Washington recalibrating energy ties with its longest-standing Gulf supplier.

For the first time in four decades, U.S. refiners went an entire month without a single barrel of Saudi crude. The drop to zero imports in July, last seen in 1985, is more than a statistical curiosity; it is a snapshot of how tanker routes and political choices are starting to bend under the strain of rising risk in the Strait of Hormuz. Analytics firm Kpler, cited by market reports, said U.S. imports of Saudi crude fell to zero in July, with Gulf-linked disruptions helping push buyers instead toward Venezuelan cargoes. Imports from Saudi Arabia are expected to rebound to around 300,000 barrels per day in August, according to the…

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